ArenaNet on Guild Wars 2 currency and microtransaction model

ArenaNet has been keeping rather quiet about the microtransaction model for Guild Wars 2 but this evening they broke silence and revealed how they plan on working the MMO’s economy.
With Guild Wars 2 being a free to play MMO, ArenaNet will need to monetise the game to fund support and further development, just like the first game. This time they have gone back to the drawing board and built a new system from the ground up.
The game will feature three currencies, gold, karma, and gems with gold being themost common in-game currency. Players will also earn Karma in-game which can not be traded but instead be used to acquire unique rewards. The final piece in the puzzle are gems which are bought an used to purchase microtransactions.
Players will be able to trade gold for gems and gems for gold. This means players will need to play to acquire gold or use money to purchase gems. The system has been designed in such a way to discourage RMT companies spamming the game with ads. However, it’s going to be hard to stop any RMT company from working the system, they usually find a way.
The game will feature a Trading Post (auction house) where players can trade with each other with the main currency being gold. Further details on the Trading Post will be revealed at some point in the future.
Source: ArenaNet via RPGReporter.